| What's Going On |
[27 Sep 2008|09:51am] |
I haven't updated much lately. My ankle sprain healed pretty well, and it only took about two weeks for me to be up and around again. I ended up getting it x-rayed two days after my accident because the doctor thought there might be a small break, but there wasn't. I just took a lot of Tylenol and hopped around my classroom for a week. :o)
We are all moved in to the new place! Things are not exactly put away, but it's fine. We bought a couch and a really nice bookcase at Ikea. (If you know Ikea well, it's a Karlstad sofa with the long white cover and the Markor bookshelf that is made of cubbies.) We're going to get a dining talbe and an end table sometime in the next few months. I need to put storage things and my scrapbooking stuff away in the closet and our multimedia stuff (DVDs, especially) is everyone because we have no entertainment center yet, but it's coming along.
Celebration is great! I have two friends from work who live here and we've gone walking once and out to dinner once. This morning I got up and walked around the lake and all the way up Golfpark Drive, which is where the fancy houses are. It's really beautiful, and I like being able to walk almost everywhere. The Sunday farmer's market is literally right outisde our door, so we're saving lots of money on produce.
Tomorrow we are going to Epcot Food and Wine Festival! We're just going by ourselves tomorrow, but are hoping to get Nate and Tabetha (friends who live in Daytona) to go with us sometime, too. (Plus, they need to see our new place AND Tabetha needs to see wedding pictures since she couldn't make it.) I'm pretty excited for some good food and free wine tastings.
Thank you notes are coming along. I got a late start because of the move, but they will get done in the next week or so. I'm trying to do ten every day.
Cheerleading is good - two of the JV cheerleaders quit, leaving us with only seven. They decided they didn't have time for it. We also still have 12 on varsity, which is also very good. They're all very new, but they're doing a nice job learning all the sidelines. The funny thing is that this whole group, collectively, has no rhythm! They can't seem to clap together. We're trying to work on that, because we need to look awesome by October 21 when football starts.
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| Klutz |
[05 Sep 2008|07:58pm] |
I was walking out of Publix today thinking how awesome my life is, and ready to go home and pack up a load to take to Celebration in the morning.
Then I fell on the tile floor, sprained my ankle, bruised my knee, and scraped my hand.
All plans to do things are out the window as I am now in bed icing my foot. Hopefully I will be able to move furniture tomorrow!
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| Bits of News |
[12 Aug 2008|07:47pm] |
- Obviously, the wedding was amazing! Thanks for all the comments on the pictures. I don't really know what else to say about the wedding, other than it was the best wedding ever and the best day of my life. Seeing my friends all weekend was the best! Nearly everything came off without a hitch and I had the best time ever dancing all night. I will sometime write a re-cap.
- The honeymoon was awesome! Train to Chicago, train to Glacier National Park, and sevenish days in Glacier. Highlights: discovering train travel (free wine!); hiking to the top of a mountain; a three-hour, ass-weakening hourseback ride; whitewater rafting and rescuing kayakers the entire time; playing in a waterfall; going to the spa; eating all kinds of home cookin' in Northern Montana; staying at a beautiful historical lodge. Whew. It was the best honeymoon ever!
- Last Tuesday, we flew back to Chicago and drove to Holland. Then on Friday and Saturday, we drove back to Florida with all our stuff and most of our wedding gifts. We stayed over night in Marietta this time. Even though Mike ditched the Ranger and bought his brother's 2001 Altima, he got a LOT of our gifts into the two cars!
- I started work again this week. The kids aren't back yet, but things are very busy. I already had a headache today despite eating well (yogurt and granola for breakfast; iced tea; salad with chicken for lunch; granola bar) so it must have been school. My room (yes, room, there is one this year) is pretty much set up. I still need to write plans because class lists keep changing and also because we are going to a block schedule and I'm still collecting tips on how to organizer classes in a block.
- Our lease is up September 16. Stephanie technically moved on July 21 when her fiance's lease was up and he/they got a new place, but a lot of their stuff is still here. We are looking at a house tomorrow that has a September 1 move-in date. This is perfect because it would give us two weeks to move our stuff and get our old place cleaned up. We drove by the house the other day and other than ugly curtains and landscaping that needs trimming, it's good. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and at least a front porch. Plus, it's getting new carpet and paint before the move-in date! Give that Mike and I both have steady jobs, we should get the place.
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| Wedding! |
[06 Aug 2008|10:34am] |
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No time or energy for actually posting about the wedding, so here are some pictures taken by friends. All I can say is that it was amazing!
Don't mind the out-of-order pictures...
So, lots of fun. I'll update about the wedding and post some honeymoon pictures later!
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| Imagine Forum |
[17 Jul 2008|10:47pm] |
I just got back from the Imagine Schools national forum in St. Louis! (Imagine is the charter school operating company for which I work.) Although it was long and definitely boring at times, I'm sure I'll go again next year. The good points were seeing my friends from work, staying at a nice hotel with good wine at the bar, tasty food, getting to hear about how other regions operate/what their strengths are/what their challenges are, and my bachelorette party (more on that later.)
The bad parts were the long and boring workshops (two were informative, one was not) and the looooong regional information sessions. It was nice to hear what goes on in other regions, but way too long. We have maybe 20 regions and each was given 30-45 minutes, so you can do the math! Also, every minute of our days there, from 7am to 10pm, was completely scheduled so there was NO down time. Even after 10pm, we were in the hotel bar talking to people from other regions, so we didn't get a lot of sleep. It was exhausting. However, our presentation was cute and creative without being a ridiculous showpiece, and had a lot of generic information but not enough specifics. I can't complain; I've been in Michigan and didn't do any of the work, but I'd like to help improve next year. Our theme had to do with "The Little Engine That Could", so we all wore conductor hats and bandanas, carried around a HUGE wooden train, and handed out train whistles to the audience.
Also, I had a bachelorette party! Wednesday all the girls from my school went out together and ended up having most of our region people tag along, actually. We went to a bar that had a blues band on their outdoor patio. I drank wine, everyone bought me shots, we danced, one of the guys from South Florida region sang, Karen had the whole bar screaming "I am IMAGINE!" at the top of our lungs, and Stephania had the band point me out and sing a song for me. It was good times, and I was more tipsy than I have been in years!
Today we didn't have any stuff to do and everyone from my school had flights to catch. I ate lunch with Linda and then went to the Gateway Arch by myself. No one else wanted to go in it! Anyway, it was pretty sweet. You essentially take a tiny elevator that looks like an egg on the inside up to an observation deck at the top, look around for 10 minutes, and then take your egg back downstairs. It's an impressive structure, though, and I'm glad that even though I was exhausted today, I went and did the ride to the top.
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| Shower! |
[08 Jul 2008|11:19pm] |
Mike's mom and her friends threw me a shower yesterday and it was soooo fun! First of all, I had my hair trial before. I was at the salon for 2.5 hours because I had it highlighted and then I had the updo. But, it looked great and I'm definitely sticking with the chosen style for the wedding. It still looked great this morning after I slept on it, and then it took me a good 20 minutes to get out all the pins. ;o)
Anyway, the shower! The hostess made a dessert bar and we played a quiz game about the history behind wedding traditions. It was a nice, dignified shower game and not at all embarassing like some I've heard about. Then I openned gifts for a solid hour! I received mixing bowls, a collander, wooden spoons, a whisk, a microplane grater, several spatulas of different varieties, measuring spoons, a bread basket, a cookie sheet, a cooling rack, several cookbooks, oven mits, an ice cream scoop, a whole pancake set (batter bowl, syrup container, dish towels, pancake mix), a Pyrex bakeware set, a toaster oven, a coffee maker, a Magic Bullet, a glass pitcher, pillow shams, bath and hand towels, a bath mat, a shower curtain, a picnic basket/cooler (with corkscrew, cork, cheese board, cheese spreader, plates, cups, napkins, tablecloth, and silverware), and.... I feel like that's about it. Everyone made very creative gift sets. I also got at least one recipe from everyone in attendance, too. (The hostesses sent out recipe cards in the invitations.) All in all, it was a nice event even if I hardly knew anyone there!
Today, I finished ALL the thank-you notes by noon and mailed them. How's that for ambitious? I also met with the florist, packed and wrapped the bridesmaids gifts, and put together the paper lanterns for the ceremony. Tomorrow is a day for relaxation - I have a massage scheduled and I will probably do some wedding crafts around the house, like making the program basket. I want to do as much non-Mike stuff (read: DIY projects) before he gets here (Thursday night!) so we can do the "together stuff" when he's here (i.e. applying for our marriage license.)
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| Less than three weeks! |
[07 Jul 2008|12:21am] |
First of all, my 4th was lots of fun. Mike's parents invited me to the cottage where they spend every July 4th week with several friends of theirs, so we sat on the beach and drank cocktails all day, grilled, had a bonfire with s'mores, and set off fireworks over the lake. I also went with Mike's mom and her friends from the cottage to the retro fashion exhibit at the Holland Museum on Saturday morning. Saturday night, my parents, sister, and I went to see a Beatles tribute band at Park Theater, who were very good.
Today has been devoted to the wedding, My mom and I went to JC Penney's to get the rest of my Samsonite luggage as a wedding present (we got half the set for Christmas). I also bought a honeymoon scrapbook at Target while looking for a bridal shower scrapbook (the one I had seen was gone). Then, we cleared a lot of wedding stuff out of my room and brought it down to the dining room, which is our official wedding warehouse, and got it all organized. Mike's mom came by and saw some things and picked up the stuff (gifts, candy molds) that I keep forgetting to bring to her house.
This evening, I sewed all our table runners! Last year, we saw navy imperial stripe material that I liked at Field's, and it was on sale recently. We bought enough to make runners for the gift table, head table, and cake table. Mike's mom cut all the fabric and I serged the edges! It was a pretty easy project, actually.
Tomorrow, I must print the centerpiece monograms and buy centerpiece ribbon because I am meeting with the florist Tuesday and need to drop these things off to her. There is a good chance Field's won't have the ribbon and I will order online, though. I have to make another florist trip after the paper lanterns for the ceremony arrive anyway. Also, my hair trial/highlight is at 2pm and my shower is in the evening! I'm glad Mike's mom and her friends are doing this, because although I had resigned myself to not having a shower, I would feel like I was missing something I really didn't have one.
Mike will be here Thursday night - hurrah! Friday we have a meeting at Windmill Island, and Saturday we are going to a wedding there. My make-up trial is also on Saturday, about which I am supremely nervous. No one else has ever done make-up on me that I actually liked. I suppose I'll have to look for some idea pictures.
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| More things off the list |
[03 Jul 2008|10:43pm] |
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| Hakuna Matata |
[30 Jun 2008|11:10am] |
I'm listening to my Disney music. :o)
Sorry for the lack of updates. I usually have a lot of time to update when I'm in Holland, but I've been very busy with wedding stuff. The last month is definitely crunch time, and even though I've been spreading out the work over 18 months, there are so many things that you can't do until the last month or the last two weeks (meet with certain vendors, seating chart, etc.)
Anyway, it's busy but it's all really fun! My mom and Mary and I went to taste food and pick the menu on Friday, and that was lots of fun. I'm really excited to see Mike in two weeks, and to see Erin and go to the spa with her! I have a lot of spa time coming up: hair trial on the 7th, make-up trial on the 12th, facial and massage this week, mani and pedi with Erin. I never spend that much time in salons, so I'm excited.
Today, I need to:
- schedule an appointment with my florist to make some changes
- drop off the table number cards and escort cards to Lois, who is doing my calligraphy
- print the monograms on cardstock for the centerpieces before I meet with the florist
- buy hostess gifts for Mary and her two friends who are hosting my bridal shower
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| Road Trip |
[15 Jun 2008|10:41am] |
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On Friday morning, I got up at 2:15, showered, braided my hair, packed remaining items, finished loading the car, and hit the road to Holland at 3:15 A.M., Jetta time. I made ridiculously fast time and arrived in my parent's driveway in Michigan at 9:24 P.M. for a total drive time of 18 hours, 9 minutes.
I only stopped thrice: for Starbucks and gas at the famous I-75 exit 62 in Georgia, for lunch at gas in Tennessee (at Bonnarroo, actually); and for Starbucks and gas somewhere in middle Indiana at about 6pm. My new Disney cds and NPR kept me moderately entertained. It was a decent drive with very little traffic and great weather everywhere but Indiana.
Now I'm in Holland and yesterday already was filled with wedding errands. I...
- picked a shade of tan for the groomemen's pants and Mike's suit at Lokker Rutgers.
- went to Post jewelry to inquired about pearls for bridesmaids.
- went to Fris office supplies to hunt for a navy blue pen
- went to Target for navy tissue paper, coloring books for the flower girl and ring bearer, and continued the hunt for a navy blue pen
- bought white and navy cardstock for centerpiece purposes and a flower girl basket at Michael's
- e-mailed addresses to Mary for the shower
- printed labels for the welcome bags and stuck them to welcome bags
- checked out another wedding at Windmill Island and made notes on likes, dislikes, needs, and questions for the coordinators and caterers
So, it's been pretty action packed. I can't do much today because Holland shuts down on Sundays but I do plan to go see Mike's parents and try to find cheap candles online.
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| School's out, wedding, headed to Michigan |
[11 Jun 2008|08:02am] |
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I'm done! Report cards are out, my stuff had been packed and stored in my new room, the LA department resources have been organized, and I handed in my key and checked out! I know that this sounds like I'm leaving, but really, we have to do that every year. We are constantly moving rooms to accomodate enrollment and new hires. For example, I need to move because middle school is not moving into the modulars, 4th and 5th are. Plus, I need to move so that the new language arts hire can be across from me and share a cubby space with me so that I can help him/her with things. I plan to have an actual department next year and given them a LOT of support.
Today, I have many things to do. I need to call Diane Keith Briday and re-order my sister's shoes; call the DJ to set up an appointment; call the string quartet leader and discuss prelude and processionals; then go to Parchment and choose wedding programs/finalize the lettering; and go with Mike to pick up my rings that were resized again. Actually, the engagement ring feels fine at its current size, but the wedding band is a bit tight. When I put them both on, they both feel tight, which apparently is normal. So I'm having them both made larger by a half size to accomodate that. This isn't a lot of things to do, really, and I can definitely get it all done.
I also need to pack to go to Michigan!! Oh, and go to the gym and make tacos for dinner with Mike. We went to see SATC yesterday (I liked it) and then weren't hungry after from all the movie theater candy so we didn't cook last night. We just went on a walk. Therefore, we have all this ground beef that we need to cook! OH! I went to update our wedding registries yesterday (I added an iron at BB&B because I would like one with a larger water resevoir and an automatic shut-off) and saw that someone has purchased our flatware and our cookware! This is surprising because they are at Crate & Barrel and I was worried that people wouldn't shop there; also, they are a bit expensive. So now we know we have items to cook with and items to eat with - this is fabulous! I need to stop looking at the registry so I can be surprised, but they tell you what you have when you go to update things. I'll try not to look for a month, upon which time I'll have to look to make sure we have enough items on the list.
Speaking of the wedding, I talked to Mary (my future mother in law) the other day and she and a couple of her friends want to throw me a shower! This is exciting because I didn't think, with my friends so busy and far away, that I wouldn't have a shower. My mom is way too busy with the rental property and other wedding things to help out, but Mary is really set out throwing the shower, so I'll try to help out as much as I can. I think it'll be really fun!
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| Wrapping it up |
[03 Jun 2008|09:36pm] |
It's the last week! Final exams are being given and my room is being packed. I've got a majority of things boxed up and ready to move to my new room, which, ironically, is my room from last year! I've also had all our department resources getting dumped into my room. I'm moving them all to the storage space in my new room to inventory them and organize by edition and grade level. By Thursday, my grades need to be posted, and by next Wednesday, I need to have everything boxed, labeled, and stored in the cubbies of my new room. This Saturday I'm taking the ESOL exam to (hopefully) earn some ESOL endorsement hours. Other than that, I'm trying to finish my online reading endorsement class and I'll start a new online ESOL class in August.
I have a really good schedule next year. First, we are going to a block schedule. I've never taught in a block schedule, but I think it will work well for our school. I will have the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade honors students for 90 minutes every other day. Also, I'll have one regular 8th grade language arts class for 90 minutes every day. Then I also have an extra planning period in my days to take care of my team leader duties and the curriculum for the honors program. I'm happy to get all the honors students and get to plan their curriculum because that's an area where we are lacking and I'll enjoy having control of all three years of honors LA.
I'm leaving on the 13th to drive to Michigan. The plan is to leave at 3am to avoid Atlanta traffic and arrive in Holland at about 11pm that day. I've driven straight from Orlando to Hillsdale, so this shouldn't be a big deal. Before I go, I need to get our wedding programs ordered. I'm actually hoping to get that done tomorrow but I'm waiting on my mom to pick music for the ceremony prelude. That's really the only wedding thing I need to take care of in Orlando before I go.
In Holland, I need to order everyone's shoes, meet with the DJ, go to the food tasting on the 24th, order the guestbook, make the escort card display, help my mom with RSVPs. I actually need to call Diane Keith Bridal in Holland this week and order some shoes so I can get them as soon as I get to Holland - my mom said if I don't have shoes by then I'm in trouble. It's going to be nonstop wedding fun up until the wedding, other than the four days in July when I'm going to our charter school organization's national forum in St. Louis.
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| End of the year! |
[24 May 2008|08:42am] |
I think the lat time I really updated, I was just getting over the laryngitis and getting ready to take the kids to Grad Jam.
Not much else to report!
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| Recently |
[10 May 2008|10:38am] |
I'm taking 40 eighth graders to Disney's Hollywood Studios until 1am tomorrow. Well, it's not just me because I have four other chaperones there helping out. I'm really hoping nothing goes wrong. What started as myself and some other staff members thinking that the 8th graders deserved a fun graduation field trip has turned into a massive enigma of complaining students and parents. It will be a lot of fun, but I'll be glad when everyone survives the night in one piece with no injuries or arrests...
This week at work has been something else. We've had seemingly hundreds of retention meetings. It's really only been about eight for me, but they all seem to happen two or three at the exact same times. I was out sick when they were all getting scheduled and so was the curriculum coordinator, who handles retention procedures along with the team leader (me), so things got a little crazy. We also had assemblies and fire drills and cheerleading sign ups and other craziness. In addition, I have four weeks to teach and test Romeo and Juliet and, given that blazing pace of reading the play, I doubt we'll be able to watch the movie(s) so the kids will be mad. However, they really need to read the play, plus, I know that they'll enjoy it.
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[30 Apr 2008|09:10am] |
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Well, some variety has been added to my regimen of illness: bacterial laryngitis! I've never had this before.
Last weekend, Mike was sick in bed with super sore throat, and having no insurance, he generally just slept a lot, ate smoothies and soup, and took a lot of generic DayQuill/NyQuill (thanks mom!). I tried to avoid the illness with handwashing, washing all the bedcoverings, cleaning the bathroom, etc. but on Friday morning, I woke up with a sore throat. I was okay on Friday just drinking a lot of juice, but felt awful on Saturday when I unfortunately had to go to a four hour Six Sigma workshop at work. (Well, wanted to go so I can have a leadership position next year.)
I've been in bed since I got home on Saturday afternoon and out of work for three days. I had planned to go to work today, but was up all night coughing and felt bad again this morning. Yesterday, I was okay enough to go rent a movie and buy more juice at Publix, but that pretty much wiped me out. On Sunday I went to the doctor (love the walk-in tourist clinics!) and it was determined that I have bacterial laryngitis. Apparently, normal laryngitis is just viral - that's the kind that just means you lose your voice for a day or so. The bacterial kind can last a couple weeks and comes with fever, chills, etc. Good times. So I have antibiotics and my voice is nearly back. I'm hoping to be at work tomorrow.
The main reason I need to get back to work (other than the children needing structure, routine, and education) is that I'm on a committee planning a Disney trip for the 8th graders. We're taking them to the Grad Jam, which is next Friday from 6pm to 1am at Hollywod Studios and we need to finish planning. Not much else to report. Wedding planning, Disney planning, illness. I'm trying to figure out how to wrap up the year with my classes. 8th honors is reading R&J; no trouble there. 8th graders are going to write an essay about the novel they read and then I don't know what yet. 7th graders will do book reviews on their choice novel, and the other 7th graders will do some kind of project on From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler so I'm looking for ideas there. My reading classes are loving literature circles so I'm just going to let that keep going until the last week, I think.
I'm going to put my computer aside and lie down.
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| It's all happening... |
[22 Apr 2008|07:28pm] |
I picked up our invitations last week and shipped them to my mom on Saturday - surprisingly, they arrived yesterday! Although the ribbon around the invitation was supposed to be navy and is white instead, I love them and think they look great. Having the budget for the pocket would have been nice, but they're lovely the way they are. I took a picture of one and will post it eventually.
Also, my mom called today to tell me that she had the bridesmaid dresses in her possession! We lied to Aria when ordering, saying my wedding was in June, and the ship date was supposed to be May 13. However, they arrived at my parents' house today! Erin's should be at her parents' house soon, too.
I also made a shoe decision: I'm asking all the girls to choose whichever style they like from the Touch Ups line, and I'm having they dyed to match the dresses. When I saw how nice Stephania's bridesmaids looked with navy dresses and shoes, I decided to go with navy. I chose the Touch Ups so that they could choose their own style. Once they've all chosen, I'll bring a swatch to Sometime Blue (bridal store in Orlando) and order all five pairs. I may also order a pair of white shoes for myself since I haven't found anything that I like so far.
I also found a salon - I think - at which to book manicures and pedicures for the girls after the rehearsal luncheon. I still have to look in the GR area, but I'm looking at either Jena Leigh's or Gretchen's Landing in Holland.
We're checking lots of things off the list!
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| Good and bad wedding news |
[12 Apr 2008|06:41am] |
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Bad wedding news: Yesterday morning, NPR informed me that Frontier Airlines has declared bankruptcy. Although we are taking a train to Glacier National Park, Frontier Airlines is our return transportation. The news claimed that unlike the other airlines (Aloha, ATA, etc.) that declared bankruptcy this week, Frontier hopes to keep flying. We are hoping that this is the case!
Good wedding news: Someone bought something from our registry! I went online this morning to do some registry editing and saw that our 24-piece glasswear set is listed as having one purchased. So, either BB&B has a registry glitch, or someone bought us a gift. :o)
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| Spring Break |
[31 Mar 2008|08:38am] |
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I'm on spring break! I'm not going anywhere and I have no plans, for once. Usually on school breaks I/we are traveling somewhere, but this time I decided not go to home, we decided not to make any travel plans, and I haven't taken any shifts at Starbucks. My only plan was to get some stuff done at work this past Friday (done) and go to Disney yesterday (done).
My birthday is Friday and I hear that Mike is planning something. I'm pretty much just planning to hang around all week. I have some things around the apartment that I'd like to get done and I have some homework for my online class, but my only other major goals are to hit the gym, relax, and read books!
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| 125 days to go! |
[23 Mar 2008|08:40pm] |
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So, a lot has been done, but there is still a LOT to to. Mike and I just ran down the last and we think it's manageable. I'll have a LOT to do in June/July between going home and the Imagine Schools National Forum (July 14-16; yes, I'm mad enough to attend, but I'm kind of career oriented.)
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